MARCH 17. lilt
The Commoner.
3
of one" percent on the national bunk deposit
during the last forty years to pay very deposi
tor in fall. Why docs tho bank refuse to pay .
this little tax in turn for what it gets? It was
either last yeaT or year before that th aver
age profits of the national banks was fourteen
per cent. Is it asking too much of a bank that
'gets its authority to take tho people's money
from the government, is it asking too much that
that bank be compelled to live up to promises
which it "holds out?
THIS WILL DO IT
I can suggest a way in which you can bring
the national banks to believe in a bank guaran
tee. If the government shall provide that when
ever the government deposits money in a na
tional bank the bank must hang out a sign
saying, "We give security to th national govern
ment but we give nb security to ordinary de
positors," or "We give no security to ordinary
depositors but we give security to XJnclo Sam,"
it would immediately be in favor of a bank
guarantee or quit soliciting government de-
posits. We need to have a little publicity on
the subject, and let the people understand what
it means. When the banks are bound together
and have to share these losses in common they
will be interested in the fidelity of every official.
You will find the bankers' association have an
insurance to protect them against burglars. Why
should the banks not burglarized help pay the
losses of the banks that are burglarized? Why
should the banks get together and tax them
selves to protect themselves against burglars
from the outside and not protect.their depositors
from the burglars ofuthe inside?
A German in my state presented this, I think,
about as forcibly as I ever heard it presented,
silesald when -he came to Nebraska he started
poor, and worked by the day until he got money
enough to buy a team, and then he worked with
the team until he got enough money to buy a
piece of land, and then he worked on the land,
bought more land, and one day he wanted to
buy a piece of land and he needed five hundred
dollars to complete his payment. A He went to
the bank and asked if he could get it. The
banker said yes, I will be glad to loan you the
money if you will get one of your farmer friends
to go your security. He went out and got a
friend to go his security, and did get the
money, and it was not long before he paid it
back. ' ,
"After a while he had some money to deposit
and he went to the bank and then tho beauties
of the bank guarantee dawned upon him. lie
said, "I want to deposit some- money with you.
When I came in here to borrow some money
you said, 'all right, get one of your farmer
friends to go your security and we will be glad
to loan you the money.' When you borrow my
money you get some of your banker friends to
gb your security." Why not? Is there any
logic that can answer the logic of that German
farmer?
I believe that state after state will adopt this
system and then the national banks will adopt
it. The day will come, and I think I shall live
to see it, for I am not old yet, the day will
come when a deposit in a bank, state or na
tional, will be as good as a government bond,
and then you will not have the panics that come
because people get scared, not- of the kind-of
money, but afraid they can't get any kind of
money when they want it.
But, my friends, I have already talked longer
than I Intended to, and I haven't said all that
I might say, but I have covered some of these
questions, and my purpose has been first to im
press upon you the democratic idea, the grow
ing idea, that it is the duty of the representative
to represent and that when he can't represent
his constituents and do what he thinks is right
he should go to them and relinquish his
authority and let them select some one who can
conscientiously carry out their conscientious
convictions. I have tried to show you a few
of the great reforms that have been brought
about and have shown you how the great
movements have developed and great reforms
have grown. I have suggested Just a' few of these
reforms that have not yet been secured but
which are in line with this sentiment that has
been manifested by what has been done.
And now let me present the one thing to
which all government should direct itself. There
is no good reason for a government by the
people and of the people unless it is also a
government for the people, and the nearer the
government can bring human Institutions into
-harmony with the divine law the better and
more perfect that government is, and the on
great divine law that society needs to under
stand and to which government should approxi
mate, is the law of reward. The injustice that
we find is largely due to tho fact that some
people draw from society more than enough
to pay for their services, while others draw
from society less than enough to pay for their
services, and it must nccesarlly follow that If
somo are overpaid from tho common store, some
must be underpaid. It should be the aim of
officials, whether they be executive, orlegisla
tive, or judicial it should be their aim to help
bring the government into harmony with this
law. It is tho divine law of reward. When God
gave us the earth, with its fertile soil, tho sun
shine with Its warmth, and the rains with their
moisture, his voice proclaimed as clearly as if
it had issued from the clouds, "Go work, and in
proportion to your industry and your intelli
gence so shall bo your reward." That is th
divine law of reward. Every citizen should
draw from society a reward proportioned to his
contribution to the welfare of society, and
government should be so constructed and so
administered as to make this law, as far as
wisdom can, a living reality among the people;
And it is only in proportion as free government
can make a near approach to the divine law
of rewards that it will justify the sacrifices that
have been made in its behalf. (Great applause.)
MOVING ON MEXICO
Something is going on between the United
States and Mexico. The following Associated
Press dispatches toll tho story:
"Washington, March 7. A great military and
naval demonstration involving 20,000 troops
and four armored cruisers was ordered by tho
United States today to bo made Immediately on
tho Mexican frontier. Following tho cabinet
meeting at the white house today a statement
was issued declaring that tho movement of
troops to Texas and to tho border of Mexico in
California is solely for the purpose of maneuvers
and for tho training of officers and men.
"Though officials refused to discuss the pos
sibility of troops being sent across the Inter
national lino, it is known that the state depart
ment had been considering the possibility of
such action for several days.
"A combined naval and military mimic at
tack upon Galveston, Texas, is one of the fea
tures of a great 'war game,' which it is planned
to play. The officials assert that the movement
of troops is 'purely for tactical use,' but tho
sudden dispatch of one-fourth of the entire
army to the Mexican border is not accepted here
as a mero practical maneuver.
"New York, March 8. Tho Mexican ambassa
dor to the United States and the United States
ambassador to Mexico, the Mexican minister of
finance and the representative here of tho
Mexican Insurrectos, professed themselves unablo
to offer any explanation today of the movement
to the Texas border of a formidable United
States army. All. alike were unwilling to be
lieve intervention in Mexico Is imminent.
"El Paso, Texas, March 8. Antonio V. Lomeli
Mexican consul at El Paso, and Frederick Gon
zales Garaza, general secretary of the revolu
tionary party, in interviews discredited the pos
sibility of American interventon and the former
declared such a thing 'would mean war and
nothing else.'
"Mr. Lomeli, after exhibiting a telegram from
Enrique Creel, foreign minister of Mexico, in
which the latter declared that Mexico had not
asked and would not ask for intervention, said:
" 'Intervention by the United States would bo
hypocrisy, for your government has announced
that it is merely sending its troops out on
maneuvers. I think the American papers are
slandering their own government when they
attribute to it such bad faith. We rely on the
American government's assurance that the
mobilization is for military practice. Anything
else would be false to the Mexican government.
Intervention would "mean war in Mexico no more
nor less. We have the means to resist and wo
cannot accept such a thing.'
"Mexico City, March 8. The announcement
that American troops would be concentrated on
the Mexican frontier created no noticeable
anxiety here. The report that only ordinary
maneuvers are contemplated is accepted as
sufficient by the officials. In some quarters the
move is regarded as a first step toward Ameri
can intervention to restore peace. The Imi
parclal says:
" 'Neither ihe government nor the people
can accept the possibility that the object of the
mobilization is to mix in the affairs of our
' republic
"Mexican, Mexico, March 8. When he re
ceived the news of the heavy mobilization of
United States troops along- the 'Mexican border,
Simon Borthold, the American socialist leader
of the rebols in Mexico, exclaimed: 'The United
States is fast getting into a class with tho Diaz
government. It is just anothor case of might
against right.'
"Now York, March 9. Joso Ives Ltmantour,
tho Mexican minister of flnanco, conforred to
day on tho Mexican situation with J. P. Morgan,
jr., D. P. Bonnot, president of tho National
Railroads of Mexico, and several financiers. It
was said that Cecil Grcenfel, a member of the
British parliament, was expected to join tho con
ference." March 10th, tho Associated Press Issued a
statement, said to bo authorized by tho presi
dent, that the mobilization of tho troops on
tho Moxlcan border was merely "to form a solid
military wall along tho Rio Grando to stop fili
bustering, and to see that thero is no further
smuggling of arms and mon across tho interna
tional boundary."
MR, BRYAN IN CHICAGO
Tho Chicago Record-Herald of March 6th,
prints tho following story: "Women fainted
and half-dozen pollcemon fought while several
hundred persons struggled madly last night to
gain entrance to Orchestra hall, whero William
Jennings Bryan spoke before tho Chicago Sun
day Evening Club.
"Several times tho police and ushers of the
hall used their fists to check tho rush, which
began as soon the the doors were opened. Even
after tho hall was filled, with 300 seats on the
stage occupied by a delegation from tho associa
tion of commerce and a largo choir, many still
wore struggling to got within hearing distance
of Mr. Biyan.
"A number of women fainted In the crush
just as word was sent out to refuse admission
to any more, every seat being filled. As many
still tried to enter in spite of this edict, the
police were told to remove tho more demonstra
tive of the crowd by forco.
"While Mr. Bryan was speaking a woman
fainted in her chair In tho topmost tier of the
seats on the stage. Doctors in tho audienco
attended to nor, but her position was such that
it was impossible to remove her until after Mr.
Bryan had finished speaking.
"Ropes were stretched in the lobby of tho
hall to keep the crowd back. On tho sidewalk
and in the aisle created by tho ropes police
men and ushers were busy keeping ordor for
more than an hour after the service had started.
"Complaints were made to Clifford W. Barnes,
president of tho Sunday Evening Club, of the
treatment accorded somo of those trying to gain
admission. He said:
" 'The truth of the matter is that everybody
was 'rattled' because of the slzo of the crowd.
Wo didn't expect It to assume such proportions.
As for the ushers, they are ushers and did not
understand just what position to take In many
instances. All the seats were fjree, but many
people had been given reserved seats. This
accounted for somo of the confusion.'
"Mr. Bryan's address was on 'The Fact of
Christ.' "
EXIT THE OLD GUARD
Tho Chicago Tribune furnishes tho following.
In a Washington dispatch, concerning tho retire
ment of the "old guard:"
"Washington, D. C, March 4. When con
gress adjourned thero disappeared from tho
senate a few men who have stood consistently
for tho interests of the people, and a laTge
number who closed their public careers by vot
ing to retain William Lorimer in tho senatorial
seat ho occupies.
"To the 'old guard' the sound of the gavel
of the vice president striking his desk as the
hands of tho clock pointed to midday resembled
tho thud of earth falling upon tho political
coffins of their departed leaders -and comrades.
The list of men relegated to oblivion includes:
"Nelson W. Aldrich, of Rhode Island.
"Morgan G. Bulkeley, of Connecticut.
"Julius C. Burrows, of Michigan.
"Thomas H. Carter, of Montana.
"Chauncey M. Depew, of New York.
"Charles Dick, of Ohio.
"Frank P. Flint, of California.
"Eugene Hale, of Maine.
"John Kean, of New Jersey.
"Samuel H. Piles, of Washington.
"Nathan B. Scott, of West Virginia-;
"With the exception of Aldrich, all of the
above mef? voted for Lorimer's retention In the
senate. 'Aldrich would have done so had he
been in Washington, being Lorimer's 'bell
wether.' "
Another batch or bunch or group will retire
next year.
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